The efficient onboarding process always starts long before the employee joins the company. However, the most impactful is the first day of a new job. Sadly, we usually forget how important this day is. It is the moment when an exceptional level of employee engagement can be achieved at a marginal cost. Alternatively, enormous damage can be done.

The induction day can be seen as one long advertisement. However, such a set up usually fails, because new hires receive no useful and engaging information. Human Resources cannot miss the opportunity to energize employees it has to make sure that a content of the day is well balanced and useful.

The best structure of the induction day is:

a brief history, the vision, and mission;

company values and corporate culture;

business strategy and strategic initiatives;

products, services and meeting customers;

organizational structure and career opportunities;

setting up individual action plans.

A Brief History, Vision, and Mission of the Company

Human Resources and leaders should not underestimate the importance of the historical development of the organization. The business has to be proud of its past achievements and how it enriched lives of its customers.

Each employee should know how the story of the business started and what the most critical milestones in the life of the company are. However, this should reflect the past as a basis for the future. No business can be focused on its history. It has to demonstrate its ability and willingness to change and introduce innovations that will improve the entire industry.

Additionally, new hire orientation training is the best moment to explain the vision, mission and the business strategy. This part needs to be presented and described by the widely recognized member of the top leadership team. Just in such a case, all new hires will hear the most critical pieces of the corporate actions and initiatives from leaders. They have to listen up to the person which they can trust and ask questions.

Explain Company Values and Corporate Culture

Its values and culture drive each organization. Interestingly, the formal and written approval is not required. It is a set of underlying rules and principles that everybody in the firm understands, accepts and follows. Everyone understands how it works because it is an integral part of the company DNA.

Corporate culture embeds the general roles and responsibilities of each employee and manager. They understand how they are expected to behave. They know what they can decide and what kind of approval requires a higher level of authority.

It also navigates employees how to communicate with other members of the team. Each organization has its communication style, and employees follow basic unwritten principles. They should be aware of how they should approach colleagues. Some cultures are more open and direct than others.

It is always the best practice to demonstrate values and culture by giving suitable examples to follow. People will remember a great story rather than a lengthy presentation. All HR Managers should make sure that no one leaves the training session without a detailed understanding of what are the values of the company. It makes the entire induction of the new employee quicker. Moreover, less new hires will continue their careers with other businesses.

Provide a detailed explanation of the Business Strategy

The induction day is an opportunity to explain what are the strategic targets of the organization. It is the day when each employee should understand what the position of the company is and how it competes with its direct and indirect competitors.

Everyone wants to work for a successful firm, and the training session is a great selling opportunity. Employees can discuss how the business outperforms competitors. They can point out strengths and weaknesses. They have fresh eyes, and this session can be useful for marketing guys, as well.

Understanding the competitive advantage aligns employees around critical projects and targets. They can feel closely linked with the most strategic tasks, and they recognize how they are contributing. Human Resources has to make sure that all new employee discuss the business strategy with colleagues and leaders.

Describe all Products and Services

Sure, the training is not a product catalog. However, the induction session should also be about customer stories. When customers speak about their experiences with the organization, then new hires can directly connect with the company emotionally.

After, they should talk and discuss products and services. They can directly link them with values and the vision and mission. They can see how those things fit together.

Seeing a real customer is a great benefit because participants can explain how products and services make lives more relaxed and more comfortable.

Explain the Organizational Structure and Career Opportunities

Each business has a unique organizational structure. Roles and Responsibilities of Functions can differ significantly. New hires should see what the structure of the company is. They should understand how the critical processes flow through the organization.

They should understand the primary responsibilities of each department and who is the point of contact for them. In the beginning, the company is a black box, but a new employee should clearly understand whom to call when they need to talk to anyone in Marketing.

Moreover, they should see some career success stories. They should look at these employees in action. It is always a good idea to have videos to demonstrate the organization offers a wide range of career opportunities. Nobody wants to work for the business that does not provide the next step.

Set Up the Individual Follow Up Action Plan

The induction day is just a beginning. Everything should continue on the individual basis. Each new hire has to receive a personal plan what is expected in the first months of the employment. They should have regular meetings with the direct manager to evaluate the progress. They should agree on any additional steps to be taken. They should provide and receive feedback.

The efficient induction program is a long-term process. It does not end with the first day at work. The employee has a buddy who helps them to solve all issues and troubles. The buddy provides guidance and gives feedback when it is necessary.

Human Resources is responsible for the implementation of the program and its oversight. It has to make sure that most new hires finish the probation period successfully. It is not just a task for the employee; it is also a task for the management.